Damaged
by Noon's Phoenix
Summary: Elle saw an opportunity for a fresh start but didn't expect that the past would follow her. Sylar/Elle Spoiler for Season 3!
1. Awake

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Damaged

AN: first things first had to tweak canon a bit for this to make sense. Includes the Beach scene Gabriel thinks Elle betrayed him and knew about him not being a Petrelli. In the story he is a Petrelli which is later confirmed by Angela via blood test. Gabriel feels guilt over having "killed Elle" but in reality she is very alive and is being hidden by both Bennet and an old family friend Raymond. Angela thinks she's dead but mourns no lost because she suspected that Elle could sway her son's allegiance to The Company. Sylar is pretty much done with the both of them after the Beach but eventually goes back to The Company to be an agent.

* * *

Chapter 1:

Awake

"Gabriel Gray. I've read your file Mr. Gray, quite a track record you've got here, you've become something of a legend around the company."

Sylar just tilted his head at the balding man across from him not bothering to answer his questions. The detective's aggravation grew as he placed his palms on the table, leaning into Gabriel's space.

"Come on, what was it? Wanted to wipe out the whole family did you? First the Father, then the daughter? Taking out company the family legacy are you now?"

Sylar continued remain silent and the detective grew desperate. Mrs. Petrelli would be down here any minute ready to come to the rescue of her lost son. He had to get a confession out first. He had to know if Elle was dead; if there was even a chance she was still alive he had to find her.

He slammed the file down on the table, pictures of Elle from various stages of her life slid out from it. All illustrating how a sweet toothy grin would morph into a sly calculating smirk.

"But scalping her wasn't enough was it? You had to burn her body too, robbing her of a proper burial, using her own gift to light the flame."

Sylar suddenly shot up against the chains that held him to the chair, "Elle betrayed me! She lied! And for that she deserved what she got!"

"Gabriel?" the high crackly voice of Angela Petrelli reverberated off the color stone walls of The Company's interrogation room. Her sharp bird-like gaze flew over to the detective and narrowed.

"Gabriel, why don't you go clean up and meet me in my office I'm sure you have plenty of questions," Gabriel stood up at once, his binds falling from around his wrists as he stalked out of the room fixing the older man with a look that could easily have killed.

The door snapped shut behind him as Angela turned back toward the man.

"Raymond-"

"Mrs. Petrelli, you must understand he knows where Elle is! I suspect he has murdered her or worse."

"Listen, Raymond, I understand you had a parental attachment to Elle when she was with The Company, since you were her mentor; however, this changes nothing. The bigger picture is what Sylar could be for this organization. Elle was disposable, just a damaged little girl." She dismissed him with a wave.

* * *

Her head was throbbing as though it had its very own heart beat. Elle opened her eyes wearily, her vision still blurred from what must have been the results of a concussion. Leaning over her was a concerned looked Claire Bennet. She swung her blonde hair over her shoulder as she applied a cool cloth back to Elle's forehead. Elle felt the sting and tensed trying desperately to regain her senses.

Gabriel…. Where was he? The last thing she remembered was him, his face so different from what she'd been seeing lately. It shocked her at first. After all they'd been through he was so willing to kill her just because of what Bennet had said. It broke her heart. The familiar instinct to fight back never flickered though. Like somewhere in the back of her brain it had calculated that she really had nothing left to live for.

No Company to work for.

No Daddy to try and impress.

No future.

So she'd laid there closed her eyes and accepted her fate. She tried not to scream but couldn't help the whimpers that had escaped her before she passed out from the pain.

However all this didn't explain how she ended up back at the Bennet's house. Sure she didn't like the place but this definitely didn't qualify as Hell and there was no way this was Heaven. Elle liked to believe that in Heaven you couldn't be concussed, plus the thought of getting into Heaven? That was amusing. She moved to sit up quickly; she didn't like this being vulnerable. Then behind her she heard the distinct click of a gun. She froze and waited.

"Elle," it was Noah Bennet, of course. Claire Bear had scurried away to the other side of the room.

Elle shook her head trying to rid the fuzz from it, "How did I get here?"

Claire spoke up, "We found you on the beach right after Sylar lit your body on fire. I used my blood to heal you."

Elle's focus became clearer and she noticed the tender look in the younger girl's eyes. Still it was suspicious. Here she'd thought that Claire's blood was like a magic potion. The more she thought about it though it was more likely she only used a little but ti revive her and now she'd have to heal the rest on her own. Bennet wouldn't let Claire bleed enough to heal Elle completely. She didn't really see how the Bennet could just find them on the beach where she had been the day after her and Gabriel had tried to take her hostage.

"Thank you," she said softly.

She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about still being alive. During those last few minutes she had started to get use to the idea of dying. No more fighting and struggling. Sure Elle had done enough to go to Hell probably but anywhere was better than here in her mind. The world was too messed up and she didn't want to bear it all anymore.

Noah's phone rang suddenly and he flipped it open before handing it to Elle.

"I believe this is for you," Noah handed the phone to Elle who took it cautiously; well aware her senses were not as sharp as before.

"Hello?"

"Elle! Thank god! Did the Bennet's find you? Well of course they did! You have no idea how worried I was! Don't you ever do that again! Sweet Jesus Elle out of all the Villains, Sylar?"

Elle smiled at worried Raymond. Raymond had been something of a parent to her. He had taught her everything she knew, he had trained her since she was little. When her Father ignored her or claimed to be too busy Elle would go to Raymond. How could she have possibly forgotten about Raymond?

"I promise I'll try and go less psycho next time," Elle smirked, her snark returning. Noah rolled his eyes and reached for the phone.

Elle took a moment to look around her. She spotted Gabriel's singed shirt in the trash and then looked down and saw that she was in a pair of Claire's Costa Verde High sweat pants. She pinched back another smirk; the irony was just growing too much. She looked back across the room where Claire was watching her closely and behind her Elle spotted Mrs. Bennet looking wide eyed toward her.

Well this was awkward.

Elle didn't like awkward.

"Uhhh, Mrs. Bennet?"

The poodle looking woman bristled and peeked over Claire's shoulder.

"Sorry about that, uhh, ya know," she let a small spark ignite between her thumb and index finger, "thing."

The woman nodded and rushed off with a small furry dog in her hands. Elle rolled her eyes lightly and waited. Bennet shut the phone soon enough and sat down to explain the situation.

Raymond and Bennet were apparently a lot chummier then Elle knew about previously. Once Raymond heard that Elle had been fired, he tried to keep an eye on her. After those weeks that she was locked up at Pinehearst, he had enlisted the help of Noah. And so Noah had gone and found her after Hiro had transported her out.

That wasn't quite all. In exchange for his mercy Bennet was demanding that Elle disappear and no longer be a part of this struggle between Primatech and Pinehearst. Elle was shocked at first; it would be a clean break. A new life… but all she'd known was war and violence; her bread and butter. Elle didn't have a choice. Noah would set it all up (She caught a few whispers about Seattle) but until then she would stay with the Bennet's under their care. Raymond was freakishly enthusiastic about this plan. Elle was tempted to ask them if they knew anything about where Gabriel was but refrained. If she showed concern for his well being her chances of being helped would be zero.

Elle would have taken death as an escape but Seattle sounded nicer.

* * *

Sylar didn't flinch as the needle punctured his skin, drawing blood. Angela stood on the other side of the lab nursing a cotton ball to her similar wound.

"So are you going to tell me what you've done?" Angela asked nonchalant.

Sylar didn't reply but glared, watching as his skin knitted itself shut over the puncture wound.

"Positive," the lab member pronounced clearly.

Angela turned and left, Sylar followed her in silence. When they reached the former office of Bob Bishop, Angela took her seat at the desk and motioned for Sylar to do the same.

"Let's start with Elle Bishop, last my sources checked she was playing the Bonnie to your Clyde," Angela explained primly fiddling with her pin.

Sylar's face began to crumble slightly as if he was figuring something horrible out. His dark eyes widen in horror. He spoke numbly. "I killed her," Angela waited, no expression, "I thought she was lying about you being my mother."

"Well, that's understandable son, we Petrellis tend to get violent when betrayed," Angela looked mildly disappointed when he just continued to stare ahead blankly.

"Perhaps you should go clean up? I'll have Raymond take care of it all. You just focus on the battle ahead."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Forgetting and Remembering

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 2: Forgetting and Remembering

_.....you were wrong....._

_Her heart began to speed in a very different way than it had just moments before._

_...nothing but damaged goods..._

_She turned to look away, finding his grip on her hand suddenly more restrictive._

_....no one ever really changes...._

_That hardening around his eyes as they locked gazes on one another for one last time._

_....I'm never gonna change and neither are you..._

Elle shot up from the bed like a rocket, gasping and sobbing. Her eyes searched the room frantically. Once she was satisfied that she was truly alone, she clasped her hands around her knees and bit at her thumbs. Rocking slowly back and forth, she nursed a few more cries out from her body, her chest racking uncontrollably. Her eyes sought out the waste bin from which she had stolen back Gabriel's bloodied shirt. She still wasn't sure why but she did. It was tucked safely away in the bag they gave her now just so she could have it. From the corner of the room that stupid little dog Mr. Muddles or Puddles or whatever the fuck his name was yapping at the most ungodly of pitches. Elle came so close to snapping she didn't think of frying it but rather wished to choke the damn thing to death. No wonder Daddy would never let her get a puppy. Suddenly she heard a noise and turned to look up the staircase.

"Elle?"

It was the Cheerleader. Damn brat.

"Are you okay?"

Elle's sorrow quickly changed to rage at the intrusion. Of course the Bennets had to put her on a couch, couldn't she be left in peace at three in the morning? She pushed the covers off and sneered in Claire's direction.

She wiped her nose. "Fine," her voice was a bit shakier then she would've liked. She was losing her edge that much was sure. She missed it. It was a thick wall to hide behind. Now it had been reduced to nothing but a thin linen sheet.

Claire continued to just look at her. This was beginning to tick Elle off; she could feel the voltage building in her fingertips. No, zapping the girl certainly wouldn't endear her to the Bennets.

"I'm fine, alright, just fine," she defended.

The younger girl tucked her robe closer around her and continued on into the kitchen. She pulled out a coffee mug but stopped before turning and offering Elle a cup of coffee.

Thus a weird kind of peace began and allowed Elle to find a steady rhythm in the house.

Shower, eat, sleep, nightmare, coffee, breath, and repeat.

* * *

Sylar wasn't known for handling emotional stress with grace. So when Angela Petrelli was confronted with a pacing son she sent him on his way reminding him only to stay in contact and not to do anything foolish. From there he set out across the country. What he was running from he had a fair guess but he did his best to keep moving. He came across a few "talents" that he then collected from their owners. A delightful woman named Sue Landers gave him the gift of lie detection. He pretended not to feel the pang when he realized just how helpful that ability would have been just weeks previous.

It didn't take him long before he was in California and it was even sooner when he found himself back in Costa Verde on that same beach. He waited until all the families had left right before sun down then wondered over to the seldom visited area of the shore. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find. A burnt corpse? Ashes mixed with sand? Or Elle standing there just as she had been that night wearing only his bloody T-shirt?

All he found was sand.

* * *

It was only a matter of time before Claire worked up the courage to ask Elle about The Company. When she did Elle stared at her coffee as it swirled, mixing with the cream. Memories flew through her head at lightning speed. A room filled with blue light, Daddy telling her about all his many disappointments in her, begging Bennett to help her stop Gabriel, that first kill.

"I mean how does it work? What happens?"

Elle looked back up at her face blank, "They destroy you."

Claire stared at her with confusion as Elle leaned in closer, "That's what The Company does. They destroy you. Break you apart. Damage you in ways that benefit them. Then they use you until your worth runs out. All in the name of a great good they use to justify any action."

"They put bad people away," she protested.

"No, they make them." Elle's mind fired up with the thought of having pushed and pushed Gabriel.

"They aren't trying to save the world, Claire. It is control they're after; they play God with people's lives. Manipulate and lie until they get exactly what they want." Elle broke it down, her voice as hard as ice.

"That's what your father is trying to protect you from. He never wants you to have to sit down one day and wonder how many people you've killed. Your father saw what that does to people, what it did to me, and has no wish to put you through that. He's protecting you," Elle shook her head as she finished.

Claire was silent for a long while before she whispered, "And your dad?"

Elle froze and let that familiar streak of pain fly up her spine. "He didn't."

* * *

That same week Elle wondered into the kitchen one morning to find a set of bags packed and an older man at the table. She bolted toward him nearly crying with relief, "There, there, Elle Belle," Raymond soothed brushing her hair down with his older worn hand.

Elle pulled back and smirked, "I've missed you old guy."

He gave a small smile, "Well, someone has to look out for you."

"Raymond," Bennet greeted coming down the stairs to shake the elder man's hand. Elle moved to the side and observed the two closely. They were all business. They all sat and laid the plan flat out across the dining room table: plane tickets, cash, disposable cell phones, fake id, the whole shebang. Seattle was the destination. It was a big enough city for Elle to fit in. It was as far north of Pinehearst as they could get and as far west from The Company they could imagine. This was it, the final launch off. Her contact with them would be reserved only for the most extreme of emergencies. Elle's father had left a special vault behind full of gold objects from which Raymond would liquidate and get to Elle monthly. She would be set for life. A job wouldn't be necessary but was encouraged to legitimize her cover.

Tomorrow her new life would begin as Eliza Knight.

* * *

He wasn't sure what he was waiting for. Did he want the cops to show up and question him? Did he really think that she would just materialize out of the millions of bits of sand? He was just stuck sitting there in that exact spot replaying every moment he could remember. When things began to get fuzzy and he feared he had missed something he dug his hands into the sand and used Bridget Bailey's clever little ability. Flashes and flickers of different scenes fell over his eyes like a screen. A kid with a shovel, a storm, covered up with water at high tide, and finally him and Elle. Hot fire licking at the sand around Elle's body when sudden a blanket came down on it patting out the flames. Voices as they argued over something and then-

She was alive. The breath from his chest expelled rapidly. He could fix it now, find her, and make it right. His mind flooded with images of her pixie face and soft blonde hair. It was going to be fine; he was going to find her.

* * *

Elle spent that evening out in the backyard in the hammock. She figured she might as well soak up all the California sun while she still could. When the sun finally disappeared behind the layer of other houses Elle remained outside. She heard the street lights down the way snap on and mimicked the action with her over electricity in the palm of her hand.

She turned her head careful not to move too much and watched as the Bennets all ate. The picture of normalcy: Mother, Father, son, daughter. God, she wanted that. It wasn't such a terrible request. She could have been that. A good daughter, going to school everyday. A wife cooking pie in the oven. Not that Elle could cook anything really but she could learn. Daddy had said she was a fast learner. But she wouldn't get that. She wasn't Hiro Nakamura, she couldn't move back and time and demands a normal upbringing for her younger self. She couldn't save her grandmother from the fire she'd started. She was useless. She continued to snap the electricity in her hand with a little more vigor as she turned her back to the family.

Try as she might, she couldn't help but think about Gabriel. She'd try to root her head on things completely unrelated to him but somehow her subconscious just kept boomeranging about around to his face. Had he gone back to Pinehearst demanding answers? Elle found it all too easy imagining him busting into the place and extracting revenge. Hell if anyone could kill old Arthur Petrelli it would be him. Or maybe he went back to his mother? Angela was a slippery snake, there was no telling what could have happened from there. Or maybe he's forgone all that and returned to killing. She didn't want to think of that. She just wanted to forget about it but her mind wouldn't let her. She'd just been so hopeful so sickeningly naïve-

"Elle?"

She snapped to the side sitting up in the hammock. Raymond stood awkwardly to her side.

"Practicing, I see?"

Elle shook her head quickly and extinguished the current, "Habit."

"Well, that's a habit you're going to have to get rid of," he stepped closer seating himself at the small table while pulling a manila folder out from behind him. His aged fingers ran over the sides of it.

Elle waited and watched his movement closely, he was nervous. "After I drop you off at the airport tomorrow you're going to be on your own-no more contact with anyone, not even me. A clean cut."

Elle nodded, she already knew all of this. His eyebrows contracted as he contemplated his next words, "I can never imagine what you've been through, Elle." She softened when she spotted the watery quality his gray eyes had taken on.

"I can never forgive myself for not speaking out against your father when he did the testing and I can never give you back the memories that were taken from you. What I can do," he looked up tentatively and held out the file for her to take, "is give you this."

Elle took it silently and began to flip through it as he continued to explain, "It's your file. Everything I was able to dig up about you. The truth. Everything you may or may not want to know about your past is right there in your hands."

Elle softly closed the file having already gotten a glimpse at a few pictures. She looked back at Raymond as gray eyes met blue.

"It's your choice to read it or not. You may find the curiosity too tempting, knowing your nature you probably will," Elle smiled, "But it is vital you realize that this is your Pandora's Box. The things in there _will_ hurt you and you need to be ready to handle it when you read."

She cleared her throat before responding, "I'm not really sure what to say. Thanks?"

Raymond chuckled scratching his forehead. Elle let her fingernails trace shapes on the cover of the folder and asked in a low voice, "What do you think I should do?"

"I can't tell you what to do. This is a part of you, true, but maybe you should just try to make the best of this fresh start. Perhaps, it's better to look to the future instead of digging into the past."

Elle rolled her eyes at him, "If you really believed that why did you get the file for me?"

"It's a choice you deserve to make," he justified smoothly.

"I can't run from it, Raymond, any of it," she protested her eyes going darker. "I can't change who I am. I can't change what I've done or what has been done to me. No matter what I do. No matter how far I run. You can't give me a new name and undo all the damage. What's done is done and this is where I am now."

It had finally occurred to Elle that forgetting was not an option.


	3. Surviving

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 3:

Surviving

During her first month in Seattle Elle became a hermit. She spent her hours curled up with blanket on her couch, her hands swirling with electricity to the light the room from time to time. Her apartment which Raymond had furnished with things he knew would appeal to her taste was large; very fitting for someone whose father had once possessed the Midas touch. Plenty of extra rooms for her to set up on her own whims. Plenty of the latest technological gizmos and objects meant for entertaining. Despite all over this, Elle spent most of her time laying there in her overly air conditioned living room staring out the large window that covered the left wall of the wide room. She was high enough up that she had a nice view of the city with the snowcapped Olympic mountain range peeking out in the distance.

She had pretty much consoled herself to dying… again. Who was she kidding? She was a killer. Fierce and brutal in nature she'd been doing it too long to quit now. She'd only be endangering more people by trying to fit into the crowd. She didn't even know how to be normal. What did normal people do? And what kind of job would she possibly want to do? And what was the point anyway? _He_ was going to find her eventually. _He_ knew everything. _He_ was going to find her and he was going to kill her. Again.

She was nothing but a failure. To Daddy, to Raymond, to _him. _She'd never been good enough for any of them. She was failing Daddy now by running away. She was failing Raymond by not being able to live like a _normal_ person. Hell, she even failed at dying.

Maybe that's why she hadn't been able to bring herself to open her file. She just couldn't handle being a disappointment to anyone else. She didn't want to know how many other mistakes she had made; how many other tests she'd failed. No, she was better off not knowing. And what did it matter? It'd all be over soon.

Upon returning to the Company it was clear to Gabriel that his knowledge of Elle's continued existence must be kept quiet. If no one at the company was aware of the intelligence he had gained on his little vacation it would just be all the more easier for him to pick through and isolate the ones that had purposefully kept this little jewel of information from him. Someone must have helped her. The whole thing was too well coordinated. While Gabriel couldn't get a clear picture of who had saved Elle, he knew that that someone must have had ties to the company.

So his first act was to discretely dig up any information on Elle's past. He justified this act by saying that perhaps some file would include information of some place she would feel comfortable to hide. A favorite vacation spot, maybe an old family cabin in the woods?

However, after finding that there was no official file on Elle at the company his options began to dwindle and he began to wonder exactly where Molly Walker had gotten off to. He kept digging though and asked around the other agents in the most casual of ways. Most seemed to have an innate fear of the girl and the ones who were once partnered with her only described her as a short fuse blonde that had a sugar problem.

* * *

When the second month rolled around a new fire ignited in Elle. It was a bitter burning that began at first as a small tingle and then fast grew into a raging inferno. No, she was not going to let any of them win. Why should she? Sure she'd done bad things in her past but she was just a product of circumstance. Just a desperate little girl trying to win her father's acceptance. In the end she owned them no loyalty. They'd all wronged her. Daddy with countless false promises and tight smiles. Not to mention the secrets that damn folder still held. Gabriel who would never admit it but had cut her equally deep as she had after that first meeting. For someone who claimed to be so deeply bruised by the act he certainly didn't seem to hesitant in causing that same damage to her. Someone he was supposed to care for.

But the Gabriel Elle had shared lasagna with was long gone now and all that left was that cruel shell of Sylar. She needed to get that now and not later. Sylar was a danger to everyone and Elle was a testament to that. She doubted anyone could stop him he'd gotten too powerful too quickly. If there was one thing all her lessons at The Company had taught her it was that the weak were drawn to power like moths to the flame. Once they reached a certain point it, gotten that taste, it only ever made them hungrier until eventually they became so eaten up with corruption that they were unrecognizable. They burned. He'd come she was sure of that but she wouldn't go down without a fight. Not again.

Her time soon became consumed with setting up her apartment much like a Y2k bunker. Weapons hidden in the weirdest spots and the best security system money could buy. She did all this knowing that nothing she could do would even come close to "Sylar proofing" her new home. Her nightmares had continued and intensified leaving her with a hellish appearance and mood. Her paranoia ran rampant, she saw his face in every mirror, heard his voice in every crowd. She began to see things out of the corner of her eye. Every creak or squeak caused her to jump and her heart to pound as adrenaline flooded her veins, causing her hands to spark unconsciously.

She cursed herself for not being tougher, for not being fearless. She'd faced plenty of bad things in her life working for the company. However she was human under it all and after finally realizing she wasn't indestructible she was genuinely terrified. And she had plenty reason to be. She hadn't even gotten away last time. He had _killed _her. She was _dead. _That is before Raymond called in a favor and Pompom took a trip to the beach.

So she planned; had back up ids in safety deposit boxes; getaway cars hidden in garages around the city. She prepared for every possible contingency and when there was nothing else left to do she double checked.

She set up a small windowless room where she practiced her sharp shooting with more vigor than she had ever done for her Father or even Raymond. She was an independent agent now. She wasn't working for someone else's attention or praise. She was completely alone and that fact brought her a strange happiness.

* * *

After a nearly a month nothing of much importance could be found but someone must have finally noticed his digging and special interest because he found himself quite literally cornered by a Raymond Piznolski.

He had been walking back to his private room when a man slightly resembling a bear appeared seemingly out of nowhere and shoved him into an empty adjacent room. Gabriel was caught so off guard by the older man's sudden boldness he didn't think to fight back as he was shoved.

"Sylar," the man spat out with disgust.

Gabriel ignored the jab and smirked observing his surroundings with a casual air.

"Ahh, and to what do I owe the pleasure of this little impromptu meeting?"

If possible Raymond's eyes got sharper, "You've been asking questions about a certain ex company agent."

Gabriel's ears perked up but he covered it continuing on playfully, "Have you been spying on me, Raymond?" he noted the man's jump as Gabriel raised his hand in a taunting gesture.

The man quickly recovered and glared, "Why are you asking about her?"

Gabriel shrugged, "Call it a spot of interest for me."

"You burnt the poor girl to a crisp, what else is there to know?"

Gabriel felt the sudden tingle. He knew. This old wrinkled waste of a man knew that Elle hadn't been burnt to a crisp and was lying about it. His mind raced tracing over something one of the older company agents had said.

"_Oh Bob's girl? I think old bear eyes trained that one. What a doozy that must have been. Poor dear, I still remember her shorting out just walking down the hall. A right trooper that one was but with Bob as a Father I reckon she didn't have much choice…"_

A switch flicked inside him and he had Raymond flying up against the wall in the seconds following. Piznolski's eyes widen nearly to the point of erupting from his head. His feet kicked uselessly against the bland concrete stone of the wall.

His adrenaline drugged mind continued its analyzing and came to two options. He torture information out of him and then possibly kill the man or he could play dumb. Now one of the many problems with the first option was that it would give away the fact that he knew something was up and was searching for Elle. His mother wasn't stupid she'd connect the dots. Elle's old mentor turns up dead at the hands of the son that's been avoiding her? That's no coincidence. Then she'd be all over his case maybe try and have his memory erased. He could not allow that to happen. He'd have to run and then pretty much any chance of tracking down Elle would be out the window.

Sylar's eyes flickered back over to Piznolski skeptically and not to mention there about an 80% chance that the old geezer wouldn't give anything up that is assuming that he was helping Elle stay hidden. And he was fairly certain that Raymond was in fact keeping her hidden. His reaction upon Sylar's return to The Company, his recent two day 'Holiday', plus his connection to Elle all added up to him having something to do with the whole thing. Sylar released his hold on Raymond and swiftly left the room leaving the older man gasping for breath he had more important things to do.

* * *

As time elapsed Elle finally found the courage to go out. Technically speaking she had no need for a job but she found that having one helped her ease into a normal life more easily. Sadly neither Bennet nor Raymond had thought about the possibility of her wanting to enter the work force so she couldn't get a real substantial job. She was stuck as a waitress. The irony of this kept her snorting as she refilled coffee into lipstick stained cups. At first the other workers at the Serene Bean were careful to keep their distance from the mysterious blonde but with time their curiosity over ran their aversion to the new comer.

In less than a week she had an entire story cooked up. Eliza Knight was from New Hampshire . Both of Eliza's parents left her orphaned and plenty of money to live off. She was an only child and had no close living relatives. It was a perfect alibi, no connections, to explore too far away the home town.

Once they heard she was all alone in the city the ring leader of the group immediately inducted her. After overcoming her original skepticism Elle found herself becoming fond of her new friends. Did she roll her eyes at the trivial matters that they blew up? Oh yeah. Sheila's parents fighting over a divorce settlement was nothing compared to the near release of the Shanti Virus. Kate's daddy issues could never compare to hers. Not even to mention Lauren who felt the need to answer a "How are you?" honestly. It was annoying yes but something about just being around people who were so oblivious to the true dangers of the world made Elle feel that much closer to just human. She might never be able to stop shooting electricity out of her hands but she could always hide in a crowd full of people who couldn't.

The leader of the group was green eyed brunette named Gloria who spent most of her time flirting with the main cook and boyfriend Andrew behind the counter. Elle tried to ignore the bitter spikes that rose every time she saw them together so happy. She even thought about quitting the whole damn thing and going back to sitting on her couch watching soup operas. Her incentive to do this only grew when the manager Stacy hired a guy named Jason who literally would not stop hitting on her.

In all rights he was perfectly okay guy a little insistent sure but a _nice _guy. Something that was somewhat of a rare commodity in Elle's own little world. She'd considered it sure. She was after all a grown woman and in the least had needs but deep down she knew she wasn't ready for that. It was going to take more than a few months to get over Sylar getting all slicey and dicey with her head if ever.

* * *

Gabriel was barely able to contain himself as he ravaged Raymond's living quarters searching for anything at all that seemed the least bit important. He done plenty of thinking about the situation and what he needed was something, _anything _that had been with the old geezer when he was in the company of Elle. If he could just find an object he could search through it history with that growing ever useful skill of Bridget's. Maybe then he could get some clues to her whereabouts.

He pulled out drawers and dug through them viciously with absolutely no regard to their placement. Who cared if Piznolski noticed his room had been searched through? What was he going to do tell his mommy on him? Oh yes mother that woman was growing so very bothersome with her preaching and subtle tries at manipulation. He might just have to take care of that when this was all over and done with.

He shook his head and slowed examining the objects with more care this time around. His eyes sparkled as they locked in on a slight ticking noise that was coming from inside the last drawer. His hand reached out to snatch up the watch his fingers running over the smooth surface with such cool familiarity. Well this had to be an omen surely. He concentrated squeezing the small clock in his fist.

The first few images were fuzzy woman in bright red lip stick and men smoking cigars. This was obviously a very old watch. As time sped up closer to present the images became clearer and less fractured. A plump blonde woman who was whispering furiously with Raymond as she pointed to a little girl who was playing with her toys. The little girls matching blonde hair puffing up with electric charge pretending not to listen in.

Elle had broken this watch once. During one of her training sessions when Piznolski had given a rather brisk criticism of her sharp shooting. The younger Elle maybe 13 glared and turned shooting a small line of blue right at the watch hitting it right between the 2 and 3 roman numerals.

Gabriel gave a small smirk, that'a girl.

Rustling of files as he spent much time in the information center of The Company as he gathered up all sorts of files. That explained the missing traces of Elle's existence. Then finally a new polished house in Costa Verde.

'_Bennet' _his mind grumbled _'Of course he's involved'_

He saw flashes of the three seated at the kitchen table stacks of papers and other objects before them. Both men seemed to be explaining the situation to a mute Elle. Her hair seemed flattered and her eyes no longer held much of a spark. She nodded from time to time and took a small card from Raymond. Gabriel focused his energy on it and read the information on the card.

Eliza Knight

26th Ave. SW Olympia Skies building apt. # 74

Seattle, WA 98101

Gabriel placed the watch back on the table softly taking care to position is exactly where it had been amongst the other drastically disturbed chaos. A slow smile slipped on his face.

Bingo.


	4. Ignorance and Enlightenment

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Thx to my Beta emily64cooper for rescuing me

* * *

Chapter 4: Ignorance and Enlightenment

If there was one thing above all that Elle liked about Seattle, it was the rain. Logically, it wasn't a good thing. It impaired her ability to protect herself but it always seemed to calm her. Southern California had been so rarely blessed with precipitation that she had forgotten how easy it was to just relax and listen to the pellets of water as they beat against the windows and walls.

If she strained to remember far back enough, she could see her mother at the windowsill back at their old house in Chicago. That was before Daddy found out about her sparks and took her away to the Company. Her mother would sit there all day long, just looking out the window and watching the cloud patterns in the sky, like she could almost control them. Elle didn't find out that that was exactly true until she started her training with Raymond, and over heard him defending her being trained as an agent so young.

_"She's a second generation! Her father turns things to gold and her mother controls the weather. Tell me there's no potential in that! I can't even imagine what kind of powers her children will have!"_

She shook her head as she refilled the napkin holder. She didn't need to think about that kind of stuff. She had a new start and for once was okay, she was normal, finally. It wasn't like she could even remember anything much about her mother. Only wide hazel eyes and fuzzy blonde hair. Just straining to remember the broken images gave her a headache. She gave a huge internal, "Fuck you very much" to the Haitian and began to stuff the metal contraption violently.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Take it easy there!" Jason swerved around the counter from where he'd been cleaning up the last table for the night. Her brain spit fire, and she felt the tiniest of charges in her finger tips. She'd shove the napkins around if she damn well wanted to. They were just going to end up getting crumbled up and discarded on the floor anyway.

It was closing, and everyone else had taken upon themselves to leave them to close up alone. Elle highly doubted that the twenty she saw Jason hand Andrew didn't have anything to do with the sudden "concert" they all had to rush off too.

These people really had no idea who she rolled her eyes, passing by him to flip the open/closed sign to it correct format. Jason seemed to be biting his lip hard with concentration. She was quick to catch this, and even quicker to grab her coat.

"Hey, Eliza?"

Shit.

"Ummm yeah, what is it Jason?" she tried to sound as neutral as possible while she dug furiously for her scarf, which seemed to have melted into the cheap shelves.

"I know you just moved here, and you're still settling in and stuff, but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go catch a movie or something sometime?" His voice had taken on that forced swagger that irked Elle like nothing else.

Double shit.

Once again, multiple problems were arising. If she turned him down, her new "normal work buddies" would take his side. Simply because he'd been with them longer, and Elle was just the short chick who never responded when you called her name. If that happened, she'd be left not only with an awkward working environment, but also be back on the couch in her house again. Where she'd have nothing to do but think… and that was definitely not good.

She must have paused for too long because she was pulled back into reality to find Jason in the act of literally raping her air bubble. His hands hung on the ends of his own folded scarf that barely made it around his neck. His elbows protruded in this position, kind of encasing Elle who was just staring at him horrified.

"Just think about it," he whispered leaning in.

Elle's mind went blank for a minute. Okay, so she had been making this a joke. She did think that it was her way of coping, which conveniently didn't involve zapping people. But realistically, Elle was a woman, and women have needs. Jason was cute, and although annoying at times and somewhat naive for her taste, it was something, and right now all she wanted was just a nice simple rebound. Just like how she'd tried to use Peter after Adam turned out to be a grade A asshole back at Primatech. Maybe it hadn't worked out so well then, but she highly doubted that same thing could occur here. I mean what was Jason going to do if Sylar showed up? They'd team up and cross the country? Sylar could kill people and Jason would cook him eggs Benedict?

So, with this in mind, she let him kiss her. Nothing crazy, he wasn't quite that bold, just a soft sweet kiss. Simple; easy. She felt a pang of disappointment as she felt nothing. Not even a little tingle. Her brow furrowed as she put a bit more into it. Jason seemed to be more than pleased with this development; his arms seemed to find their way around her waist at lightning speed. Still nothing.

She managed to wiggle away, mutter a quick goodbye, and shuffle out of the dinner, disappearing into the damp night. She sighed loudly, wrapping the scarf around her neck as she walked, desperate to keep the cold out. Yeah, she was in trouble. What was she going to do now? Oh no, no, no, no, no. What was wrong with her? She always seemed to screw everything-

Wait.

Elle's heart nearly jumped as she struggled to calm it and keep her walk normal.

Someone was following her.

* * *

To be entirely truthful, Gabriel wasn't really sure why he didn't approach Elle immediately upon locating her. He chalked it up to curiosity. He'd never been given the opportunity to observe Elle when she thought no one was looking. No lies, no mask, no show to put on.

She'd watched him plenty through those little company planted bugs all those years back, so he figured fair was fair. He accomplished this much easier with the help of Clarissa Heplet's power of camouflage, which allowed Sylar to seamlessly blend into any surrounding.

He'd kill her only a few miles outside the city. How could Elle not have noticed? Had she not been monitoring the local news? Did she want to be found? Or was she just cocky at her own survival?

So he watched, carefully storing the smallest bits of information. How she'd check the caller id on her phone and ignore it 70% of the time, even if she wasn't doing anything important. How she took the same route to work every day. He watched as the dishes and trash built up in her apartment until she finally budged and hired _someone_ _else_ to clean it. She never made her bed. She bought new clothes rather than wash the old ones. She'd obviously always been taken care of.

He'd watched from the corner of her apartment when she finally decided to give cooking a try. He then nearly blew his cover when she started a small fire in the miniature kitchenette. She squealed loudly and ran out side into the hall yelling for her neighbor Barry to help her with it. The old man rolled his eyes as he walked into the apartment and simply turned down the flames.

He chuckled as Elle blushed and thanked her neighbor after she was forced to promise never to try cooking again. That pie was without a doubt store bought, he reasoned.

He'd been there, lurking like a creeper, for a week and still he took no action. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that she was happy. She was normal. He barely even saw her spark these days, even when she was home all alone. She'd gone and done what they'd talked about on the floor of the Canfield house.

She'd started a new life. Free of parents. Free of Powers. Free of him.

This should have made him jealous, but it didn't. He was content in knowing that she was alive and happy. That is, until he saw Jason and Elle.

Suddenly, there was no question about why he'd come. He was not going to let this happen. Did she think she could just forget about him? Just pick out some obscure Seattle band member with a crappy day job and fuck him? That was simply not acceptable. The sound of the little twerps screams as he was flung across the diner and the crack of his head on the corner of the counter as he crumbled made Sylar smile.

Elle deserved happiness, but with conditions. With him. He was not going to be replaced with anyone else. She was his damaged little angel. He wasn't going to tolerate losing her again.

* * *

Elle's mind was trained in panic situations; it quickly began to map out multiple escapes. The fastest route to her closest getaway car, the exact location of the other fake id and papers she had prepared for this very moment. Moves that could take him down, or at least slow him down. How long would it take him to regenerate if she fried him to a crisp?

The best thing for her to do right now would be to get back into private, she reasoned. That way, they could duel it out without anyone else interfering or getting killed. So she maintained her pace, and kept her senses wide open, picking up every disturbance in the air. She opted for the staircase, which admittedly was a bitch with her being on nearly the top floor, but she needed to keep track of him and she could see the shadows of his movements a floor beneath her out of the corners of her eyes.

After what seemed like a neatly ordered eternity, she found herself turning the key and knob of her door and entering. She spun on the spot a few feet inside of the room, and pumped a little over 70,000 volts into his body. His body collapsed in the darkness of the living room, not allowing her to see his face. She moved quickly to slam the door shut and turn on the kitchenette light, which threw a loud light over the two of them from the left.

He was regaining consciousness now. The smell of burnt flesh was circulating around the apartment. Elle bolted for the bedroom door, her mind going through the steps in her mind like a bored school kid during a test fire drill. She nearly ran into the door when it slammed shut by an unseen force with an ominous clamor.

She turned, breathing in shallow pants, as she eased forward, "What are you doing here, Sylar?"

"I had to find you," his eyes were open and his voice scared her. The kitchen light behind him illuminated him making him seem even more frightful.

"And what, finish the job?" she shot back hostilely, her body moving forward like a cornered animal.

He turned just slightly, and the light hit his face as he smirked. "Nice to see you've gotten your spark back," he said, letting a line of electricity pass between his rubbing fingers to emphasize her point.

Her nostrils flared. He was taunting her. "Bite me,"

"I believe I did," His smirk grew into a full blown grin, "and you liked it."

She sent another bolt at him, laying him flat on his back, and he groaned at the contact. Elle tried to ignore the satisfaction she felt at the sound. She placed her foot on top of his chest, reveling in the upper hand and sudden ease of her position.

"I'll think you'll find that time has come to a pass."

Like a flash, his hands flew up to her ankle and twisted it. She fell, landing with a sore thud on the dark, hardwood floor. He flipped over her, and positioned himself above her in a manner eerily familiar. Raw instinctive panic filled her, causing her hands to hiss with electricity, but he maintained his grip on them, the singed flesh repairing itself with every passing moment.

"Did you think you could just go Elle? Rebuild and forget?" his jaw clenched, "That's just not possible."

She struggled against him, but was stuck only glaring with all her might right into those dark pools of color. This could not be happening again. She was here again, and she was losing. She pushed harder to release more electricity, but couldn't seem to without risking relinquishing control. She panted hard with effort, but never broke contact as Sylar smiled, raising a hand to brush her bangs aside, while leaving one hand pinned to the floor with his telekinesis.

"You should know better. People like us we can't be normal. Not after what we've done," his eyes turned softer, "Poor, little, damaged Elle. So lost, but too stubborn to admit it. Tell me, why haven't you opened up your file?"

She nearly gasped. How'd he know about that? "You've been watching me, you sick son of a-"

His face scrunched up as he shushed her softly, "You really ought not talk about Angela like that, no matter how true that might be. She can be quite vengeful."

Sylar read the shock off her face answered, "Oh yes, I know all about that."

"I may have overreacted," He conceded trying to explain. The grip on her hands lightened up, only the smallest bit, but still restrained her.

"You overreacted!?" she snarled, suddenly feeling a rush of boldness, "What the hell kind of excuse was that? Who qualifies killing someone as an overreaction?! Even a monster like you."

"I am not a monster, Elle," He strained to say the words, "I'm trying-"

"To be a better person?" Elle's tone mocked him, "It's too late. Don't even try to blame it on some stupid, superficial 'hunger', you already had my power."

Gabriel shook his head, so distracted by the sudden loss of control that he let her hands free. The air around them grew tenser with every passing moment. Elle stood, too caught up in her words to make another run for it, or even give him another zap.

"And you know what that means. It means that all those people you killed in the name of obtaining powers, all that was all a lie. Sure, maybe you wanted their ability, but there was more to it. You like the other kind of power. The power you have to end someone else's life, and that's what makes you a murderer. That is what makes you _so_ unforgivable."

"You're so sure," he whispered, his eyes growing darker as she fixed him a defiant stare.

This was not going the way he had planned. She was different from the Elle he'd known. She was taking this seriously, and was no longer entertaining anymore fantasies of a sweet watchmaker's embrace. She was disgusted with him for killing, however hypocritical the opinion. How dare she condemn him for killing the same way as she had not long ago! He couldn't think about that right now. This was not going the way he had planned.

She rolled her eyes sadly and shook her head, "How could I not be? I know you all too well, Gabriel. I created you and besides it doesn't matter if you're sorry; it's too late. We've never worked, and we never will."

"I'll just have to prove you wrong then." He reached forward and pressed her body into his, and before she could react, captured her mouth in a hard kiss.

Elle released everything she had pent up in that kiss. She gasped for breath as the wave finally crashed over the both of them. The kiss did not change, it remained just as angry and demanding as it had started, but she was okay with that. She could match his rage any day.

Everything moved much faster after that. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling on his shoulders in a desperate attempt to even out the height distance. Gabriel was more than encouraged by this. His arm swooped around her back, gripping at her lower back. Her hands slid up from his broad shoulders into his hair, relishing the feel of it. He tore her trench coat from her body, feeding hungrily on the exposed flesh of her neck and collarbone.

He wanted to prove it to her. Remind her of the claim he had on her. Two people as messed up as them couldn't fit with anyone else but each other. And although she seemed all for denying that fact, he had no intentions of obliging her desire for separation. What was his was his, and that was the end of it. Besides, she needed him. She was far too frazzled and damaged to make it on her own.

His hands moved behind her, pulling her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She gripped the collar of his shirt, and ripped it down, the buttons popping off and pilling up between them. She groaned as he stumbled to position her against the wall for more support.

In truth, Elle wanted so badly to be proven wrong. As much as she strived for normal, it was only natural to take comfort in the familiar. Gabriel's touch, rough fights, and the electric charge tingling in her hands all reminded Elle of home. All the excitement and danger of her old life, everything she was trying to give up. And here she was getting sucked right back into it.

Elle tightened her legs around his waist as they tumbled into the bedroom. Toying with a psycho's heart was never a good idea, but, then again, Elle never really was a beacon of common sense.


End file.
